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FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Country music star and "American Idol" judge Luke Bryan is in the Central Valley this week for multiple shows.

The concerts in Atwater and Clovis are part of his "Farm Tour," which also benefits FFA students.

While excitement is brewing, there will be road closures and delays for drivers in the area.

Here is what you need to know.

Atwater Concert

Bryan's Atwater performance takes place Thursday night at the Castle Airport at 6 pm. More than 20,000 fans are expected to pack the tarmac.

Merced County leaders believe this former Air Force base is the perfect venue for Bryan's show.

RELATED: Luke Bryan concert to benefit Future Farmers of America in Atwater

For traffic purposes, the California Highway Patrol expects traffic to be congested from 2 pm to 6 pm, and again from 10 pm to 3 am.

If you're leaving through the Castle Airport Main Gate, you'll need to turn right onto Santa Fe Drive or go straight on Buhach Road.

If you stay on Buhach, you won't be able to turn onto any of the side streets, but you will be directed to Greensands Avenue.

There will be no left turns allowed onto Santa Fe Drive -- that's if you're coming from the Castle Airport Main Gate.

If you're exiting through Spaceport Entry, you'll only be able to turn left onto Santa Fe Drive. Right turns from this exit will not be allowed.

There will be pickup and drop-off zones on Stratofortress Drive.

Clovis Concert

Bryan's show in Clovis will be on Friday at the "Ponds at Harlan Ranch."

The rural Harlan Ranch property that's expected to host several thousand fans for the concert is located south of Highway 168.

The venue is more than a mile and a half away from the Harlan Ranch housing development.

Traffic is expected to be at its peak from 2 pm to 6 pm and 10 pm and 2 am.

You'll only be able to park with a parking pass, and all cars must enter through Thompson Avenue.

That's where the rideshare pick-ups and drop-offs will be as well.

People coming through Highway 168 east will be detoured to Owens Mountain Parkway or Shephard Avenue, and that will take you onto Thompson Avenue.

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California’s high-speed rail project could see a major infusion in funding over the next 20 years of at least $1 billion annually from the state’s cap-and-trade program.

The greenhouse gas-reduction program is the sole source of ongoing funds for the bullet train project, generating $6.4 billion for high-speed rail construction from 2012 to 2023. The cap-and-trade funding for high-speed rail expires in 2030, and project officials have long sought to extend that authorization.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s revised budget for fiscal year 2026, released Wednesday, proposes extending the funding allocation from the state’s cap-and-trade program through 2045. The governor’s proposal would stipulate that a minimum of $1 billion in cap-and-trade funds be allocated for high-speed rail each year, meaning the project could receive nearly $20 billion from the state for construction.

California’s cap-and-trade program generates public dollars from companies that buy credits at state auctions to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. The money generated is then invested in pollution-reducing projects, such as the electrically-powered high-speed rail project.

According to Newsom’s revised budget, an annual cap-and-trade allocation of $1 billion will allow the California High-Speed Rail Authority to count on stable, predictable funding. The authority will be able to plan with “greater certainty” and deliver the project more efficiently, the summary says.

“That’s our commitment,” Newsom said Wednesday at a news conference. “And our commitment is firm.”

The governor’s proposal comes a week after President Donald Trump said the U.S. government is “not going to pay” for California’s bullet train, fueling fears that the project will not be able to rely on federal dollars for the foreseeable future. Trump has long criticized the project and rescinded $1 billion in federal funds in 2019 — which the Biden administration later restored.

The project was initially envisioned as a Los Angeles to San Francisco railway that would cost up to $33 billion and be operational by 2020. But 17 years after California voters first approved a bond to help fund its construction, the project’s main focus is now a Merced to Bakersfield railway to be operational between 2030 and 2033.

State funds have covered most of the bullet train project’s costs, so far. But it still needs about $7 billion to complete the construction already underway in the Central Valley.

Authority CEO Ian Choudri said Wednesday at a national high-speed rail conference that Newsom’s commitment will give the project enough funding to build the high-speed rail system beyond the Central Valley. He said It will also help attract private investors who have been waiting for a stable commitment from the state.

“We are now able to complete what we committed in the Central Valley, and then go beyond that,” Choudri said.

Choudri did not respond directly to Trump’s comments about halting federal funding for California’s high-speed rail, but said that putting a stop to the project is not on the table.

“This is the first true high-speed rail system in North and South America combined,” he said. “How can we fail? It’s just not an option. We’re going to build.”

Choudri said that obtaining stable state funding would allow the authority to build the high-speed rail system from Bakersfield to Palmdale and from Madera to Gilroy. That puts the project closer to its goal of a bullet-train system connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco, which would cost $100 billion, according to recent estimates.

If the rail authority can bank on stable and greater funding from the state’s cap-and-trade program, “we should be starting design activities in a couple of years on both sides — Gilroy and Palmdale,” Choudri said. “Then, we should be looking at starting construction two years from there.”

Choudri said long-term state funding for the project will help attract financial investment from potential private partnersto work on the Gilroy and Palmdale connections.

In Palmdale, the high-speed rail can also connect to the Metrolink and the planned Brightline high-speed rail from Southern California to Las Vegas, which will be primarily funded by the private sector.

In Gilroy, Choudri said, the high-speed rail can connect to the Caltrain commuter rail system that operates from Gilroy to San Francisco.

“Gilroy and Palmdale gives us not only connectivity with these other systems, but also provides us a projection of the revenues that we can generate from that,” he said. “Then, it starts giving us capital money to put back into the program, so we’re not always relying on the state and federal (money).”

This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 9:39 AM.

The Fresno Bee

Erik is a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, where he helped launch an effort to better meet the news needs of Spanish-speaking immigrants. Before that, he served as editor-in-chief of his community college student newspaper, Riverside City College Viewpoints, where he covered the impacts of the Salton Sea’s decline on its adjacent farm worker communities in the Southern California desert. Erik’s work is supported through the California Local News Fellowship program.

CLOVIS, Calif. -- The graduating class at Clovis North High School in Fresno, California has a standout group of seniors.

With more than 600 students set to walk across the stage, more than two dozen of them are twins.

Some said they didn't even realize there were so many.

"At the start, I couldn't even really name more than three, so it was kind of weird to find out there were 14 sets," Senior Colton Parks said.

Part of that reason may be because most of them aren't identical.

Regardless of their looks, their bonds are apparent and they say their twin is who they turn to most.

"I think it's nice to grow up with somebody that I can communicate with throughout my life, so growing up, I won't be alone ever," Senior Isabella Istomin said.

But they also say being a twin isn't always fun.

"Sometimes even just being called by your twin's name can be really frustrating," Senior Claire Scott said.

That's why many of them are excited about their futures as they prepare to head off to college.

About half are excited to go to the same school as their twin.

"I have the person I trust most on this planet right with me, and since we're both going to be studying political science, we'll also be able to help each other study as well," Senior William Knapp said.

Others are interested in what school will be like without their other half.

"This is the first time we'll really be apart for longer than we ever have been, so it'll definitely be like a new start -- but I don't know -- I'm kind of excited to see how it'll all play out," Emerson Parks said.

After celebrating all of their birthdays together so far, many will be hosting graduation parties with their twin, potentially a final shared celebration before moving on to the next chapter.

"I feel like having one last grad party together is like our last celebration together before we're our own person in the future, so that's kind of sweet," Senior Chloe Scott said.

The 14 sets of twins include:

We asked administrators how many twins are currently in the junior class.

They said they didn't know for sure, but they can guarantee it's less than 14.

Strong winds and low humidity could mean higher fire danger for Fresno and much of the Central Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service recently issued its first fire weather watch of the season for the region.

“We could see wind gusting up to 35 miles an hour, dry grass and low humidity all across from the coastal hills over to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada,” National Weather Service meteorologist Carlos Molina told The Fresno Bee. “The conditions will be favorable for fire starts.”

The weather service previously issued a similar fire weather watch for parts of Northern California including Sacramento and Modesto.

Is Fresno at risk of wildfires? Will conditions cool down in time for Memorial Day?

Here’s what to know:

The fire weather watch will be in effect from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday, May 22, for the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra foothills, the National Weather Service said.

During that time, the weather agency said, the risk of wildfires is expected to be especially high.

Central Valley communities impacted by the fire weather watch include Fresno, Visalia, Bakersfield, Coalinga, Los Banos and Merced, according to Molina.

The area could see winds of 15 to 20 mph, with gusts reaching 25 to 35 mph, the weather service said in the watch.

Humidity will be at 5% to 15%.

That combination can cause fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity, according to the weather service.

“Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly,” the federal agency said. “Outdoor burning is not recommended.”

Molina said that people using lawnmowers or trimmers should watch out for rocks while cutting grass.

“If a lawnmower hits the rock, it creates a spark” that can potentially start a blaze, he said.

Fires can also spark as a result of cigarette butts or vehicles dragging chains on the road, he said.

Wildfire season is approaching in California, and experts warn it could be worse than usual.

Wildfire season typically runs from May to November, with most fires happening during the summer months, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association.

The National Interagency Fire Center predicts an “above-normal” risk for significant wildfires across much of California from June through August, according to its latest seasonal outlook.

The Fresno area was expected to see sunny skies on Wednesday, with a high temperature near 93 degrees and an overnight low temperature around 63 degrees according to the National Weather Service’s latest seven-day forecast.

Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.

“It’s going to be rather warm out there,” Molina said. “The hot temperatures, the dry air and the strong winds, all of those things will make (conditions) favorable to create a fire if there are any sparks going on out there.”

Thursday will be sunny with a high near 92 and gusts as high as 15 mph.

Thursday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 57 and gusts as high as 20 mph.

That’s when temperatures will “start dropping down,” Molina said.

Friday is forecast to be sunny with a high near 85 and a low around 56. Wind gusts could reach 15 mph during the day, or 20 mph at night.

According to the weather service’s forecast, Saturday will be sunny with a high near 89 and a low around 61.

Fresno residents can expect more sunshine on Sunday, when the high will be near 93 and the low will be around 62.

Fresno residents can expect winds of 5 mph during the day, the weather service said, with gusts reaching 15 mph at night.

“By the time we get to Memorial Day, the temperatures will start to warm up a little bit,” Molina said. “It’s actually going to be a pleasant Memorial Day weekend.”

Monday, Memorial Day, will see clear skies with a high near 91 and wind gusts up to 15 mph.

This story was originally published May 21, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

The Fresno Bee

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Fernanda Galan covers Central Valley and California news as The Fresno Bee’s service journalism reporter. Before joining The Bee in 2024, she reported in Milwaukee, Arizona and Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Want to date a man with good old-fashioned manners? Fresno is the No. 1 city for chivalry in California, according to DatingNews.com.

The dating industry website surveyed thousands of single people across the United States to pinpoint the cities with the best-behaved men.

“Chivalry may seem like an old-fashioned notion, but it can still come into play in the dating world,” Amber Brooks, editor-in-chief at DatingNews.com, said in a July 2024 article. “Respect, courtesy, and honesty are certainly desirable traits in a partner, and that will continue to be the case for single people across the board.”

Here’s why Fresno ranks among the top cities in the nation for chivalry:

Known for its friendly people, flourishing food scene and countless cultural offerings, Fresno is “a place where gentlemen still know the value of good manners,” DatingNews.com contributor Jon McCallister wrote in an article titled “The Well-Mannered Man: Survey Reveals Each State’s Most Chivalrous Cities.”

“Whether it’s offering a hand to carry fresh produce at the local farmers markets, assisting someone with directions or simply sharing a friendly smile, the men of Fresno are a testament to the enduring power of chivalry,” McCallister wrote.

DatingNews.com also singled out Sacramento and San Bernadino as places where men “effortlessly create a welcoming vibe.”

More than half of the people who responded to the DatingNews.com survey — 56% — said they believe chivalry is a “very important” quality in a potential partner, the website said.

“When it comes to chivalry, it seems old-fashioned manners are still in vogue,” McAllister wrote.

In particular, respondents valued politeness, respect, patience and understanding, according to DatingNews.com.

“Our survey also revealed that women find engaging in respectful and meaningful conversations and planning thoughtful and creative dates to be the most charming behaviors on a date,” the website said, adding that genuine compliments and punctuality “also make a positive impression.”

Poor communication or lack of responsiveness topped survey participants’ list of pet peeves when it comes to dating, with 31% of respondents highlighting this issue, DatingNews.com said.

Being overly aggressive or pushy was a major turn-off for those who responded the survey, DatingNews.com said, as was sending inappropriate messages or pictures.

According to DatingNews.com, these cities in the West rank among those with the most chivalrous men:

DatingNews.com conducted an online panel survey of 3,000 singles based on age, gender and geography in July 2024, using internal sources to obtain population data sets.

The dating industry website said it used a two-step process to “ensure representativeness through stratified sampling and post-stratification weighting.”

This story was originally published May 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM.